Little Talks ☇ C. Evans

7 ) greenwich

Poppy's eyes narrowed as she walked along the sidewalk, the lights of the lampposts illuminating the night just enough for her to see through the dark. Her feet were aching in her heels, as she had been walking for what felt like hours. The village had grown quiet, and usually the only people out past two in the morning were either drunk or tourists who were trying to cram as much sight-seeing into their trip as they possibly could.

As she drew closer to the W Subway, she could see a shadowy figure sitting at the top of the stairs leading down to the station. Slowing to a stop a few feet away, she hesitated, unable to tell if the figure was Chris or a stranger. Chances were, it was him; she'd already walked to every other subway she could think of in Greenwich.

"Chris?" Poppy tried, squeezing her phone tighter in her hand nervously.

He turned around, half his face in a shadow because of his blue baseball cap, "You found me."

"I found you," she repeated, trying to sound cheerful, though she had spent the last hour worrying herself to death over his whereabouts.

"I'm really sorry." He apologized, his words slightly slurred.

"It's really fine, Chris. I'm just glad to see you're okay." She admitted, forcing a small smile.

He stood up rather abruptly, nearly stumbling though he caught himself on the stair railing. Chris raised an eyebrow at her, examining her burgundy dress and black heels—not the usual attire worn at nearly two in the morning.

"Oh," she looked down, realizing what he was raising his eyebrow at, "I was getting ready to go to a party when you texted me."

"You missed a party to come help me?" He slurred, looking at her with that deer-in-the-headlights kind of look.

"That's what friends are for. Right?" She offered a smile before locking her arm with his. "Now, let's get out of here."

"I'm sorry you missed your party, but I really appreciate this." Chris replied groggily as he walked with her back down the sidewalk.

Poppy glanced up at him; he was a whole foot taller than her, which wasn't too surprising since she was only five foot tall. Despite the height difference, she never felt like Chris was superior to her. She was always comfortable around him, which was one reason they'd become friends so quickly.

"What exactly are you doing in New York for the weekend?" She questioned him.

During the week and sometimes weekends, they were filming. This was the first weekend since shooting started that they were given off, and Poppy had taken time to herself to fly home to visit friends and family. She assumed Chris had known this, hence why he'd texted her instead of one of his LA friends.

"A friend from high school had a bachelor party. I didn't really mean to drink so much. . .just happened." He said lowly, as if he was already regretting the situation he'd gotten both himself and Poppy into.

"Understandable," she replied coolly, her arm still locked in his.

However, she didn't really understand as she said she did. Poppy had never gotten drunk in her life, which she was fine with. After thinking for a few seconds, she looked up at the night sky and let out a sigh, catching Chris's attention.

"I really feel bad for making you miss your party. Promise, I'll make it up to you." He stuttered, offering a grin.

"I told you, it's fine," she said, still looking up at the sky. "The sad thing about living in the city is that you're more likely to see a movie star than an actual star."

Chris nodded, looking up at the pitch black sky, "Ironic." He chuckled.

"What's ironic?" She asked, looking at him.

"Here we are, two movie stars." He laughed at his own joke, though it only caused Poppy to smile in amusement.

"Honestly," he began again, "I don't see why anyone would need to see the actual stars when your smile is just as bright as one." He cheesed, followed by a drunken hiccup.

Poppy merely laughed, "Geez, how much alcohol did you down tonight, Evans?"

Chris shook his head, raising a finger, "A few, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong. I know what I'm talking about," he slurred, the grin still wide on his face.

"I'm sure you do," Poppy chuckled, "I'm sure you do. Can I point out something?"

"Point away," Chris said, looking around to see what she was going to 'point' to.

"Oh, no, Chris I didn't mean literally point. I just meant, can I state something?" She smiled, guiding him on down the sidewalk into the light of another lamppost.

"Right," he laughed at himself, another hiccup escaping his lips, "state away."

"You texted me after midnight that you were looking for a subway to ride, right?" She said, looking up at him as he tried to recall what he had texted you.

"Think so, yeah." He replied, "Why?"

"Well," Poppy explained, "by midnight, all of the trains have stopped running. So, you were walking around in search of a train that wouldn't arrive until morning."

She couldn't help but laugh as Chris's smile completely widened as he realized how dumb he was.

"I feel like such an idiot," he shook his head, laughing, "What would I do without you, Poppy?"